1963 BSCC Season
The 1963 British Saloon Car Championship was the sixth season of the BSCC, won by Jack Sears.http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1963%20BSCC.html 1963 was also noted for the fact that the Jaguars, which had run at the front of the field consistently for the previous two years (as well as before) were displaced by the huge American built Ford Galaxies. Regulations The BSCC continued to use the FIA Group 2 regulations that the BRSCC had used since 1961. The only modifications made were a slight change to the Class structure Classes For 1963, the decision was made to increase the maximum engine capacity allowed in Class A. This was done to counter the dominance of the Mini Cooper, however Mini would announce, and launch, the Mini Cooper S in May that year. As such Class A continued to be dominated by the small hatchback, although the 1,200cc Ford Anglia Super did make in roads on their hold of the Class. The class structure also allowed the seven litre Ford Galaxie to run in Class D, an engine almost twice the size of the Jaguars that had come to dominate the class. As a result, more drivers would use the Galaxies, as their larger engines could reach speeds in excess of 150mph on most straights. Points The BSCC retained the same points structure as before, with eight points for a win, six for second, four for third and two for second. Round by Round This section is for a round by round report for each race of the season. First Round: IV Lombank Trophy (Snetterton) 1963 began with the BSCC supporting the IV Lombank Trophy (a non-championship Formula One race) at the Snetterton circuit.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Snetterton%20Lomb.html Roy Salvadori crossed the line first, continuing the Jaguar Mk IIs win record in both its class and overall. Behind him came Graham Hill, whom recovered from a poor start in the wet, and Mike Salmon in third, chased by Bill Aston and Peter Dodd (after Chris McLaren and John Sparrow fell away in worsening conditions). Following the Jaguar battle were a quartet of Sunbeam Rapiers, led home by Peter Harper in Class B. Peter Procter followed Harper across the line, with Les Leston and Peter Jopp completing Class B. The Class A Mini Coopers were next, with Mick Clare (who challenged the Sunbeams ahead) winning the class from Christabel Carlisle and John Fenning, after former champion John Whitmore suffered a brake failure and limped home. There were no entries in Class C. Second Round: Oulton Park The field met for a second time on the sixth of April at Oulton Park, where Class B would be bolstered by the arrival of three Ford Cortina GTs and two former champions: Jack Sears and Jeff Uren.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Oulton%20Park.html However, the new Cortina's could not prevent the Jaguars running away with the victory, as Hill took victory from McLaren and Mike Pendleton. Salvadori had finished second in the race after a race-long battle with Hill, but was disqualified after it was found that his wheel rims were too large. Despite being unable to challenge the Jaguars, Sears took a hard fought victory in Class B, having passed the two Sunbeam Talbot Ltd. cars and then battled with Alan Hutcheson's Riley 1.5. Hutcheson finished second (having lost the lead on the line) with Harper in third, while the two other Cortinas (of Uren and Jimmy Blumer) suffered mechanical failures causing them to plummet down the field. In Class A Whitmore claimed his first victory of the season from Carlise (who fought off a challenge from Paddy Hopkirk, who would end up taking a longer route across the grass), herself followed by Edward Lewis. Once again, Class C lacked any entries. Third Round: St. Mary's Trophy (Goodwood) The field went to Goodwood to compete, once more, for the St. Mary's Trophy for touring cars. The Jags went unopposed once again, with Hill and Salvadori proving the strongest, finishing first and second.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Goodwood.html In a race with no fewer than 24 entrants, there were no retirements, although there were no entrants in Class C once again. Sears followed the Jags across the line, winning Class B from Blumer in a Cortina battle at the front. Leston finished third in class, although his race progress was limited by a battle with team mate Jopp and four of the Mini Coopers from Class A that finished ahead of him. Whitmore won in Class A after a last lap duel with Fenning resulted in the latter hitting the barrier and recovering to finish third. Carlisle split the two by finishing second, while Clare finished a lap behind the Class A leaders in fourth. Fourth Round: Aintree 200 The BSCC met for a fourth time at the Aintree 200 meeting, running in support of the Formula Two cars competing in that day's race. At the front of the field, Salvadori and Hill (trailed by Salmon) battled from the start, with Hill able to claim victory for a third successive race.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Aintree.html Salmon was third with McLaren fourth, who had a race long battle with Whitmore's Mini. Class C was unrepresented, as usual. Behind the leading trio came Jack Sears, who fended off an early challenge from Blumer (whose spin saw him plummet down the field) and fought through Harper, Keith Greene and Hutcheson to claim victory in Class B. They were followed (across the line) by McLaren and the Mini Cooper of Whitmore, who won the Class A race. Behind Whitmore came John Fenning and Paddy Hopkirk, whose Mini limped home to third. Fifth Round: International Production Touring Car Race (Silverstone) The BSCC field would gather once more at Silverstone, at the 15th International Trophy Meeting (a non-championship Formula One race). The field competed for the International Production Trophy, a race for Touring Cars, and was bolstered by the arrival of a pair of Ford Galaxies. Sears, still supported by John Willment Automobiles, took victory in the seven litre Galaxie, ending the Jaguar Mk II's twenty race win streak.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Silverstone%20Int.html Salvadori finished second with Peter Dodd third, although the Jags had fought hard to beat the huge American muscle car. In Class A, the Mini Cooper was replaced with the Mini Cooper S. This allowed Whitmore to finish ahead of the Class B leader Jimmy Blumer. Whitmore was followed by Hopkirk (who also finished ahead of a significant chunk of the Class B runners) and Edward Lewis. After Blummer came David Haynes and Hutcheson in the Class B race standings, with the pair racing future BSCC champion (and Formula One driver) Frank Gardner. Despite the large scale coverage of the championship, Class C was absent once more. Sixth Round: The Norbury Trophy / The Small Car Trophy (Crystal Palace) The BSCC would be split into two races at the sixth meeting of the season, due to the confines of the Crystal Palace street circuit. Race one of the day was competed between Classes B and D (there were no entries in Class C) and saw Sears and Gawaine Baillie (both with Galaxies) qualify in first and third respictively, dwarfing the nearby Jaguar of Salvadori. Sears had the best start of the three and lept ahead, winning the race and the Norbury Trophy as a result, while Salvadori fended off the challenge of Graham Hill. Meanwhile, Baillie slipped to fifth before taking fourth from Bill Aston. In Class B, Blumer took his second win in the class on the bounce, beating debutant Richie Ginther (from the United States), David Haynes and former champion Jeff Uren. All used John Willment Automobiles prepared Ford Cortinas. This was one of the few times in the year that the Class B cars were not troubled by the swarm of Minis in Class A, who competed in the second race of the day. The Class A race competed for the Small Car Trophy, and saw twelve drivers enter (eleven in Mini Coopers). The three Cooper Car Co. Minis led the field from the start, with Whitmore ultimately taking an unchallenged victory from Paddy Hopkirk. John Rhodes in the third Cooper Car Co. car ran in third until the final lap, when the charging Carlisle slid her Don Moore Cooper past him with a few corners to spare. Seventh Round: British Grand Prix (Silverstone) For the second year in a row, the BSCC had the honour of supporting the official Formula One British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone. The circuit's long straights suited the V8 Galaxies of Sears and Baillie, leaving the rest of the field powerless to prevent the pair taking a one-two in the Touring car race.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Silverstone%20GP.html Mike MacDowel finished third and was closest to beating the Galaxies, after Salmon (who had initially got ahead of Baillie) retired with engine trouble. Hill and Salvadori were absent due to their preparations for the Grand Prix itself. In Class B South African Bob Olthoff took victory, having challenged Blumer until the latter's car had died in the closing stages. Twelve seconds behind Olthoff came Haynes, who finished more than a lap ahead of Peter Harper in his Sunbeam Rapier. Round Seven also saw the arrival of three entrants in Class C, with Alan Mann taking victory in his Ford Zodiac from John Coundley (using a Mercedes 220 SE) and Uren. This would, however, prove to be the only appearance of the Class in 1963. It was in Class A that the paddock was focusing, with the classes Minis battling the larger cars while also squabbling amongst themselves. At the front of the Class A field, Whitmore and Hopkirk had their own private duel, finishing within half a second of each other as they crossed the line. Carlisle also put in an impressive performance, having led in Class A before Whitmore and Hopkirk got in front of her, ultimately claiming third after slipping behind the Jaguar of Mike Pendleton. Eighth Round: The Molyslip Trophy (Brands Hatch) The eight meeting of the BSCC saw the field compete for the Molyslip Trophy at the series spiritual home of Brands Hatch. There was drama from the start as Baillie's Galaxie, starting in third, failed to get off the grid, causing the majority of the field to take avoiding action.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Brands%20Hatch%20BSCC.html This allowed the other pair of Galaxies, driven by Jim Clark and Jack Sears, to build a clear lead at the front, leaving Salvadori and HIll to drag the other Jaguar Mk IIs in their wake. Although Sears would pull into the pits with a puncture towards the end of the race, Clark would crusie to victory, well ahead of Hill and Salvadori who had one of their usual duels. Behind the Class D battles came John Whitmore, who beat the leading pair of Cortinas in Class B, run by Olthoff and Blumer. The Mini Cooper's dominance in Class A was challenged, however, as Mike Young put a Ford Anglia Super 1200 on the podium, beating Hopkirk and John Fitzpatrick, although no one could challenge Whitmore's dominance. Les Leston claimed the final podium position in Class B. Ninth Round: The Molyslip Trophy II (Brands Hatch) A month later, the field returned to compete again for the Molyslip Trophy. Salvadori sawpped his Jaguar for a Galaxie, while John Willment Automobiles also decided to run a Galaxie for Olthoff.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Brands%20Hatch%20Sept.html The change saw Olthoff claim his first ever race victory in the BSCC, after Sears' car failed to start the race. He was followed by Albert Powell and John Adams, after Salvadori's car began to fall down the field with brake issues. Sears changed his car for a third time, now equipped with a Lotus built Cortina and running once more in Class B. Sears took victory in the new Lotus, with Haynes and Mike Donegan completing the Class B podium. Behind Sears (in the race) came Whitmore in his Cooper S, a lap ahead of the next car in his class. Mick Clare and Peter Clarke completed the Class A podium. Tenth Round: XII Gold Cup (Oulton Park) leading a pair of Mini Coopers at Oulton Park.]]Not wanting to be out done by Salvadori, Hill decided to swap his Jag in for a Galaxie, run by John Willment.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Oulton%20Park%20GC.html The change allowed HIll, who had not challenged for a win in the BSCC for a few rounds, to take second. His inexperience with the car showed at the start, however, as Dan Gurney used the full might of the Galaxie's V8 to launch away from Hill and ultimately take victory. Class D's podium was completed by Mike Salmon's Jag. Behind the leading Galaxies came Sears' Cortina, as he beat the Team Lotus run car of Trevor Taylor in Class B. Olthoff returned to his Ford Cortina to take third in Class B, despite starting at the very back of the field after failing to set a qualifying time. Whitmore's decision not to race meant that he lost the lead in the championship, as Edward Lewis took victory from the Anglia of Young. Timmy Mayer, using Whitmore's car, took third, beating John Handley. Eleventh Round: Snetterton With the Formula One World Championship having a mid-season break, several drivers decided to take to the BSCC field. It would be Jack Brabham, driving the Galaxie previously used by Jim Clark, who took victory, beating the Jaguars of Salmon and McLaren by almost a lap.http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1963%20Snetterton.html Interestingly, Sears had qualified in the John Wilment Automobiles Galaxie, taking five seconds off of his own lap record. However, Bob Olthoff would use the car instead (retiring with transmission problems near the end of the race) with Sears using his Cortina instead. In Class B, Clark put in an impressive performance in the Team Lotus Cortina, beating team mate Trevor Taylor to the class victory. Behind them came Sears, whose third place was enough to see him take the championship from Whitmore, despite the Cooper Car Co. driver winning his Class. Behind Whitmore came Mayer, who fended off Mike Young's Ford Anglia and the Cortina of Donegan. Entries A table of entrants may be entered here, using the following table: * Baillie switched to a Ford Galaxie after round three. ** Uren raced a Ford Zodiac Mk III in round seven. *** Sears swapped to a Ford Galaxie after round four, before switching to a Lotus Cortina for the final three rounds. ****Salvadori used a Ford Galaxie after round nine. ***** Jim Clark used a Team Lotus Cortina at the final round of the season. Final Standings * Sears also entered the championship using a Ford Cortina GT and a Lotus Cortina. Champions By winning the championship in 1963, Sears became the first driver to win the title twice. He also became the first driver to win the championship with three different cars. Because the cars that he used were from different classes, Sears was not eligable for the Class honours that year. Class A went to former champion John Whitmore, who fought Sears for the title all the way through the year, showing the Mini Cooper S could fight with the titanic American machines. Jimmy Blummer took the Class B honours in his Ford Cortina GT, while Class D was won by Graham Hill. Class C was never properly represented in 1963, so no clear winner emerged from the Class. References Images: *http://carbaze.com/car-4811/ford-lotus-cortina/pictures - Sears Cortina Oulton Park Category:Seasons